Signature-handling device.



M. CHRISTENSEN. SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE. .APPLICAT.\0N FILED FEB. 23.1911.

PatentedAugullflgfi.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I ATTUFPN/ZYS M. CHRISTENSEN.

SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE.

1 APPLICATION HLED FEB.23,1917- 1,236,909. I PatentedA11g.14,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

,VGYBI upon which MARTIN CHRISTENSEN, 0F RACINE, WISCONSIN.

SIGNATURE-HANDLING DEVICE.

Application filed. February 23, 1917. Serial No. 150,472.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAM'IN CHRISTENSEN, a citizenof the United States,and resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin,have invented new and useful Improvements in Signature-Handling Devices,of which the following is a description, reference being fication. v

The invention relates to signature handling devices. p

In the making of books, pamphlets, magazines, etc., it is commonpractice to insert or superimpose a signature or group of signaturesupon a signature or group of signatures moving along the saddle to thestitching mechanism and alining the signatures thus assembled previoustostitching them. To accomplish this purpose I have previously used inconnection with the main signature conveying mechanism an auxiliarysaddle or support above this main conthe signature or signatures to beadded to those moving along the saddle have been placed and from whichthey are removedby pins on the conveyer and superimposed, alined andmoved along with the signature or signatures on the main conveyer butconsiderable difiiculty has been experienced with this form of deviceowing to the fact that the depending portion or portions of thesignature or signatures to be superimposed were not spaced away from themoving signature so that they would get in the way of themovingsignature and thus prevent proper operation of the machine. Toobviate this difficulty it'is the object of the present invention toprovide a supporting means for holding the signatures including thedepending portion or portions of the signatures to be superimposed andinserted away from the main conveyer and the signatures disposed thereonso that there will be no interference between the two sets of signatureswith the result that the signatures may be inserted or superimposed in;a more efficient manner than has heretofore been possible.

The present device is designed. to be used in connection with signaturemachines of the saddle type and the main conveyers and saddle may be ofthe type shown in my Patent No. 937,925 granted October 26; 1909,

Specification of Letters Patent.

had to the accompany I 7 mg drawings, which are a part of this speci-Patented Au 14, 1917.

or that shown inmy Patent No. 1,140,73e,

granted May 25, 19 5.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims atfthe conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the device showing it used with one of thetypes of conveyer above referred to;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. l; I

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44- of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

The type of conveyer shown in the drawings consists in brief of amovablesaddle carried by a supporting frame 5. This saddle consists of aplurality of inverted V- shaped members 6 mounted on an endless chain 7driven inany suitable manner by any suitable source of power. the upperrun of the cgnveyer being guided by the plates 8 secured to the frame 5,said conveyer carrying pins 9 for engaging the signatures to move themalong with the saddle. For a more detailed explanation of the operationand construction of this type of conveyer reference may be had to myprior Patent No. 1,140,731, granted May 25, 1915. In my Patent No.937,925 of October 26,1909, is shown a form of conveyer consisting of astationary inverted V-shaped saddle having a longitudinally extendingslot or slots therein through which pins carried by an endless chain,project to movethe signatures along the saddle and the present devicemay be used in connection with either ofthese types of conveyers or anysuitable kind of conveyer for a saddle stitch machine.

The present invention used in combination with the conveyer consists ofmeans for superimposing a signature or signatures between thesuperimposed signatures and the signatures on the conveyer.

So far asv the means for holding the signature to be-superimposed awayfrom the conveyer whether for a single or double sheet the structureisthe same in that this supporting means consists of auxiliary saddle orsup ort 14 or 14 mounted above the main saddle and supporting the upperpor parent that I superimposed sheets.

tion of the signature or signatures and supports-15 or support 15 forthe depending portion or portions of the signature. The saddles areslightly inclined toward the conveyer and taper toward their deliveryend. WVhile I have shown the supports 15- and 15 separate from thesupports 14: and 14 it will be obvious that so far as the broad idea ofthe invention is concerned that the supports 15 and 15 may bemadeintegral with the saddle provision being made for allowing the pins onthe conveyer to engage the signatures disposed on the supporting meansabove the conveyer.

In the specific form shown the saddles 1e and 14k" and 15 and 15 aremounted on hangers consisting of rods 16 and brackets 17 mounted on arod 18 carried by the frame 5 of the machine. The saddles 1 t. and 14are each provided with a collar bracket 19 fitting around thehorizontally extending portion of its supporting rod 16 and angularlyadjustably secured thereto by a set screw 20. The supports 15 and 15each consist of an angled rod each vertically adjustably mounted in acollar 21 which collar is adjustably mounted for lengthwise and anularmovement with respect to its supporting rod 16 to accommodate signaturesof different lengths. The pins 9 carried by the conveyer are of a lengthto engage the rear edges of the signatures on either of the saddlesabove the main conveyer. With the construction thus "far described itwill be apin each instance'the supporting means serve to hold thesuperimposed signature or signatures including the depending portionthereof spaced away from the conveyer and the signatures disposedthere'- on so as to prevent any interference therewith and thesignature-engaging means consisting of the pins 9 engage the rear edgeor edges of the signature or signatures and move them ofi theirsupporting. means and superpose them and aline them with the signatureson the main conveyer previous to the stitching operation.

However, as previously stated, the invention also provides for insertinga sheet between the sheets on the conveyer and the This is accomplishedby making the saddle 1% of a length so that its delivery end is disposedbetween the saddle 14 and the conveyer and making the support 15 of alength to extend some distance beyond its cooperative saddle 1 1, Figs.1, 2 and 3, the supports 15 and 15 serving to space the'sheets carriedthereby away from each other and from the conveyer.

With the parts thus arranged it will be apparent that when it is desiredto insert a signature such as the sheet 10 between the signature 11 onthe conveyer and the superimposed signature 12 on the saddle 14: thisinsert is placed on the saddle 14: in its first position: and that asthe pin 9 carrying the signature 11 moves along it engages this sheet 10moves it along until it runs under the saddle 142 where it is moved ontoand alined with the sheet or signature 11 and that the pin 9 now movingboth sheets 10 and 11 engages the sheet 12 moves it off its saddle andalines it with the signatures 10 and 11 previous to the stitchingoperation, the supporting means as previously described holding thevarious signatures spaced from each other so as to prevent interference.

It will be understood that in case a double page insert is to be handledanother support similar to the bar 15' but on the other side of thesaddle 1a is used.

\Vhile for the purpose of clearness, one specific embodiment of theinventive idea has been herein shown and described, it is apparent thatthe invention is not restricted to this particular construction but thatthe construction is capable of modification and change conforming to thedefinition given in the appended claims.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination, with the saddle con veyer mechanism of a saddlestitch bookstitching machine, of supporting means disposed above saidconveyer forsupporting the signature and holding its depending portionsspaced away from the conveyer, including a saddle,- means carried bysaid conveyer and rem0v ing the signature from said supporting meansonto the signatures carried by the conveyor.

2. The combination, with the saddle conveyer mechanism of a saddlestitch bookstitching machine, of supportingineans disposed above saidconveyer including a saddle for the upper portion of the signature and asupport for maintaining the depending portions of the signature spacedaway from the conveyer, and signature-engaging means carried by saidconveyer and removing the signature from said supporting means onto thesignatures carriedby the conveyer.

3. The combination, with the conveyer mechanism ofa saddle stitchbook-stitching machine for conveying signatures to the stitchingmechanism, of supporting means disposed above said conveyer comprising asaddle and supports extending down on both sides of the saddle forholding signatures spaced away from the signatures on the conveyer,andsignature-engaging means carried by the conveyer and removing thesignatures from said supporting means onto the signatures carried by theconveyer.

The combination, with the conveyer mechanism of a saddle typebook-stitching machine for conveying signatures to the stitchingmechanism, of signature supportand signature-engaging ing meanscomprising a main support, an auxiliary saddle mounted on said supportabove the conveyer, supports adjustably mounted on said main support andextending down on both sides of the saddle for holding the signaturespaced away from the signatures on the conveyer, and signature-engagingmeans carried by the conveyer and removing the signature from saidsaddle and supports onto the signatures carried by the conveyer.

5. The combination, mechanism of a saddle type book-stitching machinefor conveying signature to the stitching mechanism, of signaturesupporting means comprising a support for the upper portion of thesignatures and supports on both sides of said support adjustablevertically and longitudinally with respect thereto for maintaining thedepending portions of the signature spaced away from the conveyer andthe signatures thereon, and signature-engaging means carried by theconveyer and removing the signature from said supporting means onto thesignatures carried by the conveyer.

6. The combination, mechanism of a. saddle machine for conveyingsignatures to the stitching mechanism, of supporting means disposedabove said conveyer for supporting a signature and holding its dependingportions spaced away from an insert and the conveyer, an insertercomprising supporting with the conveyer with the conveyer typebook-stitching a means having portions extending beneath said firstmentioned supporting means for supporting an insert and holding itsdepending portion spaced away from the conveyer, and signature-engagingmeans carried by the conveyer and removing the signatures from both ofsaid supporting means onto the signatures carried by the conveyer.

7 The combination, with the conveyer mechanism of a saddle typebook-stitching machine, of a superposed signature supporting meansdisposed above the conveyer comprising a saddle and supports extendingdown on both sides of the saddle for holding signatures spaced away fromthe signatures on the conveyer, insert supporting means disposed abovethe conveyer comprising a saddle extending to a position beneath thefirst named saddle and a support extending from its cooperative saddleto a position beneath said first named supporting means to hold thedepending portion of the insert away from the conveyer, andsignature-engaging means for removing the superposed signature andinsert from their supports onto the signatures carried by the conveyer.

8. The combination, with the conveyer mechanism of a saddle typebook-stitching machine, of supporting means above the conveyer forsuperposed signatures for supporting the folded portion and thedepending portions thereof, supporting means above the conveyer forinserts for supporting the folded portion of the insert and thedepending portion thereof, said insert supporting means extending for aportion of its length beneath said superposed signature supportingmeans, and signatureengaging means for removing the superposedsignatures and inserts from their the signatures carried by theconveyer.

ture.

MARTIN OHRISTEN SEN Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

supporting means onto In testimony whereof, I aflix my signa-

